Monday, January 18, 2016

Book: The Craft Driven Lodge

A book published last year (okay, so I'm a little late) is getting very positive reviews, and I recommend it to your consideration. The Craft Driven Lodge by WBro. Dan Hrinko and published by Macoy Publishing, is a chronicle of the formation and philosophy of Arts and Sciences Lodge No. 792 , chartered by the Grand Lodge of Ohio. Arts and Sciences is a new kind of lodge, bringing together Traditional Observance, European Concept, and its own twist on lodge philosophy. It was founded in 2010, and Dan was the Charter Master.From the book's website:

The concept of a Craft Driven Lodge emerged from the experience of forming Arts & Sciences Lodge No. 792 under the Grand Lodge of Ohio. When a group of masons from central Ohio began to gather to discuss what a Masonic Lodge experience could be, numerous ideas were brought forth from this free and open discussion. Everyone involved seem to share several opinions not the least of which was a sense of disappointment in the superficial treatment of the esoteric aspects of Freemasonry, the deeper meanings of symbolism, and the limited opportunity to discuss and explore these topics within a tiled Lodge.

As we began to gather and discuss these matters, it became clear that we were following a process whereby every member involved was viewed as an equal partner in this project and that the directions, goals, and implementation would be driven by every person involved and, therefore, would be the responsibility of everyone involved.

The purpose of this volume is to set forth fundamental principles that are essential to the long-term health and well-being of any organization including Masonic lodges. In addition, I will present a review the process followed by this group of brothers that eventually resulted in the formation of Arts & Sciences Lodge No. 792 under the Grand Lodge of Ohio. The general concepts that drove this process, the actions taken by numerous members of this group, the decisions that were made, and the challenges of implementation will be presented to the reader.

It is hoped that you will understand the process and see the application of these principles to your own situation be it an individual who is interested in bringing a different quality to the experience in his Lodge, a group of officers wishing to help their Lodge move in a different, more energizing and relevant direction, or for a group of brothers interested in starting with a clean slate and forming a new Lodge. In all cases, the fundamental principles of the Craft Driven Lodge concepts are equally applicable.

The most attractive qualities of the Craft Driven Lodge approach is that it allows brothers to identify their particular interests, their particular resources, and empowers them to create a Lodge experience that is to their liking without being tied to any particular set of actions, ceremonies, or even fundamental beliefs beyond those universal to Speculative Freemasonry across the globe. Brothers following this process are free to choose from the numerous practices that have been developed as part of Speculative Freemasonry across the ages and choose those elements that are most consistent with their vision of what a Lodge experience should be.

For more information, you may also refer to our facebook page, which will also post upcoming events, speaking engagements, and a question and answer forum.

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A mythic past. A visionary future. A legendary brotherhood.

Freemasonry is the world's largest, oldest and best-known gentleman's fraternity. It is based on the medieval stonemason guilds who built the great castles and cathedrals of Europe. Modern Freemasons likewise use the tools, traditions and terminology of those earlier stonemasons as allegories for building Temples in the hearts of men.

It's said that we are a secret society. We do indeed have secrets—secrets that each individual man has to discover for and about himself.

At its core, Freemasonry is simply an attempt to make the world a better place, one man at a time. For that man, it can become as simple or as complicated as he himself desires. It's not for everybody. Maybe it's for you.

"Brother Chris Hodapp's [blog]...is thought provoking and is often the first place on the web where new ideas and matters of interest are posted."

He received his college education at Indiana University, the University of Southern California, Los Angeles Valley College, California State University at Northridge, and Indiana/Purdue University at Indianapolis.

Chris spent twenty-three years in advertising as a commercial filmmaker for Dean Crow Productions, shooting and editing close to 1,000 commercials, music videos and feature films. He has written scripts for corporate and non-profit clients, and his voice has appeared in countless television and radio commercials.

He was the editor and a contributor in 2004-5 to "Laudable Pursuit: A 21st Century Response to Dwight Smith"by the Knights of the North, a Masonic leadership think-tank focussing on modern lodge solutions. He has written for Indianapolis Monthly, Masonic Magazine, Templar History, the Scottish Rite Journal, the Knight Templar Magazine, the Indiana Freemason , the Phylaxis, and numerous other publications.

Hodapp and Alice Von Kannon developed episode outlines for the History Channel program, Brad Meltzer's Decoded in 2010, and contributed material on conspiracies and secret societies for TruTV and the American Heroes Channel. They have both appeared on National Public Radio, the History Channel, Discovery, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and the American Heroes Channel - most recently in 2017 on America: Facts vs Fiction.

He and Alice live in Indianapolis with their very French poodle, Wiley.

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